Garda check time doubles

26 Apr 2013

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THE length of processing time for garda vetting has doubled due to cutbacks within the gardaí, with Laois/Offaly TD Sean Fleming lambasting the Minister for Justice for such a deterioration of the service.

THE length of processing time for garda vetting has doubled due to cutbacks within the gardaí, with Laois/Offaly TD Sean Fleming lambasting the Minister for Justice for such a deterioration of the service.

“Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice is presiding over a major deterioration in the processing time for garda vetting for people who require clearance for their work and other activities, such as working with older people, younger people and vulnerable people,” Deputy Fleming said.

“Great strides have been made in recent times and the average waiting time was down to four weeks. The minister undertook to keep this as his objective but as a result of his cut in resources for An Garda Siochana this has now increased to approximately 11 weeks.”

Dep Fleming pointed out that many people are unable to take up employment because of the extra months waiting for garda vetting and by the time they get their garda clearance the job has been given to someone else. He said that the minister must immediately redress this and not in the “stop/go” manner that he has been doing in the last two years.

“Staff are being transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Garda Vetting Unit in the near future and this should help reduce the backlog. However, Minister Shatter must ensure that when people are looking to take up new positions that this vetting process be kept streamlined in future and not be allowed to deteriorated, as he has done over the last six months,” said Dep Fleming.

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